Book excerpt: In the late 1940s, Paul Strand spoke of creating a series of photographs that focused on the history, architecture, environs and people of a small town (which) would reveal the common denominator of all humanity and would be a bridge toward a deeper understanding between countries. This book presents a rigorously edited selection of these photographs made in France, Italy and New England between the years 1943 and 1953. Strand identified and explored the myriad variations of some central themes: the primal connection between humans and the natural world, the beauty of simple objects and structures, and the inherent dignity of every individual regardless of wealth or social status. Strands photographs encourage the viewer to look closely and observe how details and formal relations emerge. Paul Strand (18901976) was introduced to photography in 1904 by Lewis Hine, then Strands teacher at the Ethical Culture School in New York. Hine introduced him to Alfred Stieglitzs Photo-Secession Gallery at 291 Fifth Avenue. Stieglitz championed Strands work by publishing it in Camera Work and ultimately exhibiting it at 291. Numerous solo and group exhibitions have showcased Strands work including a 1945 solo show at the Museum of Modern Art, New York and a 1971 retrospective exhibition that opened at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and later traveled to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Saint Louis Art Museum. The last major exhibition of Strands work, Paul Strand circa 1916, was organized in 1998 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and later traveled to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. His work has been the subject of many monographs and can be found in the permanent collections of major museums internationally.